Gophers RB Darius Taylor set to return at Iowa, LB Cody Lindenberg out
Gophers running back Darius Taylor scores from 1-yard out at Northwestern Saturday night. (University of Minnesota Athletics)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The University of Minnesota football team is playing at Iowa on Saturday afternoon in the battle for Floyd of Rosedale, and P.J. Fleck will get one of his top rushers back on the field.
Freshman running back Darius Taylor was not on the team’s injury report released two hours before kickoff, meaning he should return for the first time since an injury at Northwestern. Taylor was the Big Ten Freshman of the Week three straight times, and led the league in rushing yards going into the game at the Wildcats.
Linebacker Cody Lindenberg will miss his seventh straight game. He was listed as questionable, but was not in uniform when the Gophers took the field at Kinnick Stadium for pregame warm-ups. Lindenberg has yet to play this season due to an undisclosed injury suffered late in fall camp. He was the top returning tackler on defense heading into the season.
Running back Bryce Williams is out for the remainder of the season. Zach Evans and Sean Tyler should each get carries to fill that void. Chris Autman-Bell is also not listed on the injury report, but it’s not known how much he’ll see the field. Autman-Bell has played in three games, but has just two targets on the season and no catches. He had 11 catches for 214 yards and a touchdown before suffering a major knee injury against Colorado last season.
The Gophers haven’t beaten Iowa since 2014, and haven’t won at Kinnick Stadium since 1999. They’re looking to end both of those skids Saturday afternoon.